SEATTLE, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that Dr. Trevor Mundel has been named president of the foundation’s Global Health Program. Mundel, who is currently global head of development for Novartis Pharma AG and is based in Basel, Switzerland, will start work at the foundation on December 1.

“We are very pleased that Dr. Mundel has agreed to lead our global health program,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the foundation. “He brings tremendous scientific and medical credentials, in the lab and in the clinic. We look forward to working with him to help improve the health of people in the world’s poorest countries.”

“Dr. Mundel is an outstanding choice for our global health work,” said Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the foundation. “He has a passion for science, and has worked for many years with an array of partners to improve health outcomes for people around the world.”

“After a global search, it became clear that Dr Mundel’s deep understanding of the complexities, challenges and opportunities to improve global health made him a prime match for us,” said Jeff Raikes, CEO of the foundation. “Under his leadership, we will continue to build upon our work with our partners to deliver existing vaccines, drugs and other tools, and to create new ones.”

In his new position, Mundel will lead the foundation’s efforts to develop and deliver drugs, vaccines, and other tools to fight developing-world diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and take the world closer to the goal of polio eradication. He will oversee the foundation’s global health grant portfolio, which includes more than $14.7 billion in grants to date.

“I look forward to joining the staff and grantees of the Gates Foundation in their work to address some of the most difficult and important challenges in global health,” said Mundel. “I am humbled and deeply honored to join Bill and Melinda in their mission.”

Mundel has been a senior executive and scientist with Novartis since 2003, serving most recently as global head of development. He previously served as global head of immunology and infectious disease, global head of exploratory development, and head of exploratory clinical development. At Novartis, he oversaw some 140 clinical projects, a budget of $3 billion, and more than 7,500 employees. He is also on the boards of the Genomic Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, and the Novartis Venture Fund.

Prior to his tenure at Novartis, Mundel held senior positions at Alkermes, Inc., Pfizer and Parke-Davis.

Mundel earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He also studied mathematics, logic and philosophy at Balliol College, University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and earned his Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Chicago. He also completed his residency requirements in neurology at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationGuided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people–especially those with the fewest resources–have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.